Stress fertility and acupuncture
The insidious nature of chronic stress. Why stress you don’t feel may be more harmful for your fertility.
Acupuncture evidence
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How does stress affect fertility?
A recent study from New Zealand claims that they found a missing link between stress and fertility.
Otago University researchers discovered a previously unknown set of brain cells that respond to stress hormones. As a reaction to stress, those neurons shut down the reproductive system, especially ovulation.
“It could be that just a day of stress is enough to block [pregnancy] from happening, and then that’s the chance gone for the whole month,”
Professor Greg Anderson from the Otago University Neuroendocrinology Centre.
Their findings are worrying, but not surprising. Your body perceives stress as a signal of danger. And even though, in most situations today, it doesn’t necessarily mean danger is physical harm, our bodies switch on the mechanism of survival through a “flight or fight” response.
In response to stress, the nervous system sends signals to reduce the blood flow to all parts of your body except for what is the most needed to respond to threats.
When you’re in danger, the reproductive system is not a priority. As a result, the blood flow to the Fallopian tubes, ovaries and uterus reduces.
Acupuncture harmonises the branch of the nervous system associated with rest, relaxation, digestion and tissue healing.
Can acupuncture help to reduce fertility related stress?
Acupuncture for stress natural conception
Trying to conceive women felt more relaxed after a course of acupuncture, that is the conclusion of an Australian study. Women felt like they can cope better with social and relationship pressures. In addition, it was easier for them to deal with infertility stress itself. To achieve these improvements the participants had regular acupuncture for eight weeks.
Acupuncture for IVF stress
Stress is one of the main reasons why individuals quit IVF. Moreover, women exposed to chronic stress have a 27% lower chance to conceive with IVF. These are both valid reasons to start acupuncture to reduce IVF stress. After a course of acupuncture, women undergoing IVF felt more relaxed, had fewer miscarriages and more babies.
How acupuncture reduces the stress when trying for a baby
Acupuncture modulates the very mechanism of stress.
Telling someone ‘to relax and it will happen, is not helpful. Working on the cause of the stress, with therapies like acupuncture, is more likely to relax you and help you to conceive faster.
Acupuncture works on ‘stress command centre’ – the hypothalamus
Studies have shown that acupuncture influences the stress response ‘command centre’ – the hypothalamus. As a result, your sympathetic nervous system “chills out”. You relax, your blood vessels relax and widen. Consequently, the blood supply to your ovaries and uterus improves.
Releases endorphins
After acupuncture sometimes you may feel like the burden is off your shoulders and naturally ‘’high’’. You may wonder why? The answer is simple – acupuncture releases endorphins. Endorphins play a role in keeping your ‘flight or fight’’ nervous system under control.
Higher levels of endorphins lead to feelings of euphoria, a balanced appetite, the release of sex hormones, and the enhancement of your immune response. With high endorphin levels, you feel less pain and stress. That’s exactly how you would like to feel when you are trying for a baby.
Relieves anxiety, improves sleep
Prolonged stress can easily progress into anxiety, depression. As you may know, the longer it takes to conceive, the harder it is to deal with disappointments. Acupuncture has been shown to alleviate depression and anxiety. As a pleasant side-effect acupuncture can improve sleep.
Reduces physical body stress – pain
If we are talking about physical body stress like pain, inflammation acupuncture has been recommended as a first-line treatment for chronic pain management.
In short, acupuncture is a great way to get your body on track for conceiving. Not only will it treat all aspects of stress, but acupuncture also helps with pain management and boosts fertility.